September 21st – 23rd 2012

Natural History Travel weekend at the Kingcombe Centre, West Dorset.

Price: £275

Leaders: Bob Gibbons and other NHT leaders

The Kingcombe Centre is a beautiful natural history study centre, set in an unspoilt, secluded valley in West Dorset. A mixed weekend of local outings, slide shows, photographic and identification sessions, and a chance to meet up with old friends and travelling companions

Male southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) in flight. Dorset

This pleasantly relaxed weekend starts with tea and a leisurely walk around the Dorset Wildlife Trust's superb Kingcombe reserve, followed by an excellent supper (for those who do not already know it, the centre is famous for its wonderful cooking). After supper, there will be a slide show on various interesting places around Europe. The pattern of the remainder of the weekend will depend on the weather and the condition of various sites; it will be a mixture of organised visits to such sites as Cerne Abbas downland, the glorious Powerstock Common, and parts of the spectacular Dorset coast, now a World Heritage site, as well as talks, possibly sessions on wildlife photography or the basics of flower identification, or a fungus foray if it's a suitable season, and participants' own photographs.

Canary-shouldered Thorn moth ( Ennomos alniaria ), close-up. Dorset.

We’ll run a moth trap on at least one evening. September is still good for flowers and insects, there are early migrant birds passing through, and the weather is often pleasant, with lovely misty mornings in the valley.

Tour Code: NHT/08/06. Price: £ 275 per person includes accommodation with full board, and services of leaders throughout.

Bookings direct to The Kingcombe Centre, Deposit £80. It may be possible to extend your stay at Kingcombe: please discuss directly with the centre.